Be Fit With Biray

Last Thursday evening (1/24/08) I went to the premier showing of the documentary Spirit of the Marathon, a film showcasing the journeys of various runners preparing for the 2005 Chicago marathon. As a person who enjoys the sport (though I’ve only completed a half marathon) , I expected a lot more depth from this film. In the words of Inigo Montoya from Princess Bride, “Let me explain – no there is too much – let me sum up”:

Basically (without giving too much away), the movie documented the training season of several main characters: the pro-athletes, the average married couple, the first time runner, the recently-divorced single mom, the 70 year old man and his daughter… you get the picture. Though I liked the idea of juxtaposing these characters to illustrate the various reasons people participate in marathons, it simply failed to capture their energy and reflect their spirit. I’ve seen reality shows on VH1 with better storylines.

Who was the audience for this movie? For the athlete or fitness enthusiast, the movie will barely strike a chord. There are runners who – give them an hour – will recount their experiences with much more emotion, detail and animation.

Was it for the general public? Perhaps a way of bringing awareness to a popular sport? If so, this too fell flat. Outside of some fascinating bits on marathon history, the majority of the movie revolved around training schedules. “This week we are running a 10K” “Today we’re out for our 18 mile run” “This weekend watch us run our 20 miles” After 30 minutes… I wanted to run out of the theater, myself.

Was this a bad movie? No. Though I do think the 5-minute docu-dramas during the Olympic coverage are far more interesting. I suppose if I’d seen this movie on TV, I might not be so critical. But there is something to be said about watching a movie in a theater. You expect to experience something more profound. I wanted to walk out feeling inspired and in awe of what the human mind & body was capable of.

For instance, I’ve seen plenty of documentaries on the discovery channel about penguins (who hasn’t?) But the 2005 film March of the Penguins simply blew me out of the (cold) water, witnessing something truly magical. Same idea – if I have to spend money to buy a movie ticket, clear my schedule to watch on the ONE night it’s showing, drive all the way from my house to ONE theater that’s showing it – it better be damn good.

So, my advice to the next person who decides to make a movie about marathons – if you want people to engage (and possibly encourage a movement towards more participation in the sport) either get Morgan Spurlock to direct the movie or Morgan Freeman to narrate it.

Kix here!  Your health and fitness correspondent from Second Life.  Biray has asked me to post an update regarding latest in-world health and fitness news.

It seems many health and healthcare organizations have created a presence in our virtual bubble.  Everything from support groups for autism and AIDs, to communities on counseling and cancer.  Check out these resources by teleporting to HealthInfo Island (contact Carolina Keats for the TP).  Or if you have yet to cross over into our world – you can visit the SL-healthy wiki to learn more about the communities that have combined their virtual efforts.

Check out my latest blog post “Don’t Drink and Fly” about creating health-related messages using Second Life.  I witnessed a simulated car crash which turned out to be a creative ‘don’t-drive-drunk’ campaign.

Last, but not least – came across few more health clubs and fitness facilities in SL.  Check out my latest article “Move Your Body” in The Looking Glass, online magazine about SL.

A fellow colleague of mine sent me the following “health warning” this morning that I thought I’d pass along to you. (It made me laugh, and hopefully you will too!)

WARNING: AVOID SWALLOWING YOUR GUM!

This weekend I attended my college roommate’s wedding. The invitation read “Your presence is the only presents they request.” While I wanted to honor the couple’s request, I didn’t quite feel comfortable showing up empty-handed. After consulting my Twitter friends for ideas, I thought the best ‘no-gift’ gift would be one that would make their new world a better place. So, I made a contribution to an environmenal cause on their behalf.

As I was searching the internet for different charities, I came across a few search engines that exclusively supported health-related causes. Here’s what I mean: let’s say you search for the word ‘health’ on Google or Yahoo!, in addition to the results, you’ll find paid ads specific to health on the page somewhere. These ads help fund search engines so we can freely surf the web. Charity search engines perform the same tasks as Google and Yahoo! (often times they are powered by them) but donate generated ad revenue to a charity of choice!

A simple Google search for “charity search engines” will get you a list of various sites you can use or simply check out Top 15 Charity Search Engines. Each site varies between the cause they support (although most allow you to choose from a huge list of charities). Some range from 50-100% donations. Others limit the times you can search on their site, though most are unlimited.

I’ve been playing with a few, and have really found these to be either the most user-friendly or applicable to the health-fitness industry.

Clicks4cancer donates their ad revenue to various cancer foundations.

SearchGive helps you select charities by belief, cause, cure, or foundation. Just type in words like ‘diabetes’ or ‘wellness’ and you can usually find the charity of choice.

One of the reasons why I like GoodSearch is because you can select a charity by city/state. It’s nice to see local charities getting support within their community. Also, you can see how much money each charity has recieved from their searches. So, if you’re a non-profit looking for a fundraising opportunity, this is a great way to get listed and track your progress.

Some others I like are GreenSpider (a search engine that supports the environment) and Ripple (helping to fight poverty around the world). They seem to be more than just a search engine – they help promote a movement across the web. With corresponding Facebook groups, web apps and/or widgets to add to your blog, these help in spreading support.

If you’re like me, you’re probably online daily searching for information. Having found these resources, now we all can make our efforts online more meaningful! So go ahead – search for a cause !

As group exercise instructors, the music we choose for our classes not only represents our personality, but assists us in motivating our participants. We’ve all used and incorporated mixes from various sources (some from fitness-related sites like Dynamix, MusicFlex, PowerMusic – others, from our personal inventory). And now with the popularity of Napster, Rhapsody, and iTunes, instructors are even more selective with their musical purchases.

How many times have members in our classes asked us about our playlists? How often have you recommended a song to a participant? How many hours have you spent creating the perfect bootcamp mix or cycle CD? Wouldn’t it be great if we actually saw a return from our musical investments? Well, now we can! I recently came across AMIE STREET, a site where you discover the songs you like (I say ‘discover’ because their database mostly consists of independent artists) and then get paid for spreading the word. Below are some cool things about AMIE STREET that I thought might be useful for group exercise instructors:

COOL THING #1: Tracks are CHEAP because up-and-coming artists upload in hopes to get discovered! Tracks cost anywhere between 98 cents and FREE (depending on their popularity – which is based on how often songs are downloaded).

COOL THING #2: If you like the song, you can officially recommend it. As a recommended track increases in popularity, the cost of track increases, therefore giving your greater kickbacks! A song that cost you 23 cents to buy could increase to 47 cents in a few days, returning 10 cents to your account (you can cash out or put it towards another track purchase!) They key is to recommend songs that start off at zero and watch them grow to 98 cents!

COOL THING #3: If you are recommending good songs, you might make some fans along the way – friends who follow to your profile. The more friends you have, the more likely they’ll download the songs you recommend (thus increasing the chances of making money.) So next time a member is a real-life fan of your playlists, make ‘em your Amie fan, too. (Every friend you invite to sign up earns you $4.00 in your account!)

COOL THING #4: Obviously this is not a grand money-making opportunity (unless you have tons of time and an ear for music in order to catch quality songs early in the game). But most of us don’t have the time nor are in the business of discovering new commercial talent (if we were, we’d probably be making millions of dollars, buying bling-bling and crashing parties whose guest lists include Beyonce and Stefani.) Most of us simply want new songs to keep our classes from getting bored. Best thing is to follow top profiles who recommend music that align with your own tastes (let them do all the work) and choose from their recs, decreasing your search time to a minimum.

We know people respond to good music regardless if it’s on BillBoards Top 100 or not. Music is an emotional and neurological experience. (Check out the book “This Is Your Brain on Music” by Daniel J. Levitin to learn more about the science of what makes a song enjoyable). So why spend hundreds of dollars on music when you can walk the ’streets’ and pick up dimes and quarters for free!

“What is the deal with exergaming?”
Sound like something Seinfeld would say? Perhaps.

Yesterday, two blog posts (one was linked to the other) briefly discussed why exergaming wasn’t “clicking” in the commercial fitness industry. According to blog editor of both posts Marc Onigman “it may be because TV is a passive medium.” I’d agree that the act of watching TV might be a physically passive experience, but so is reading, going to the movies, attending operas and plays, working on the computer and sitting at a cafe chatting with friends. (Granted, the latter might be more intellectually, emotionally, psychologically stimulating – but that’s a different argument.)

Anyone who has played exergames like Nintendo Wii or Dance Dance Revolution knows that exergaming is not a passive activity. Simply because these games are developed on platforms that require a TV and/or screen connection, doesn’t discount its effectiveness. In fact, there are plenty of exergames that do not require a TV output.

Dr. Ernie Medina (exergaming evangelist and CEO of XRTainment Zone) posted excellent comments on Onigman’s blog! Medina showed evidence in favor of exergaming. One key point that he articulated was how its impact had gained big support in the health and fitness arena: “The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently announced an $8.25 MILLION grant for interactive gaming research.”

Exergaming’s low adoption rate in commercial fitness industry has little to do with TV and everything to do with the commercial fitness industry. Health clubs and gym facilities, which often cater to the active population who enjoy the traditional gym environment, are sticking to fitness programs that work (or have minimal financial risk). They have an audience that prefers seeing weight machines, not gaming machines. I think clubs are holding back and watching the exergaming trend evolve, waiting for the right time to decide if they should make an investment or not (essentially, a good business practice, no?)

But exergames are not going away, they are gaining more mainstream momentum. How it will change the purpose, function, and audience of a health club – only time can tell. Some believe those health clubs that do invest, will stay on top of their game (yes, pun intended), and those that don’t – well, it would be like walking into a premiere club of today and seeing zero indoor cycling equipment and zero Spinning classes. They’d simply be outdated.

Amanda Vogel is back this year with her latest book for health and fitness professionals entitled “Anatomy of an Article” – get plenty of great tips on writing for magazines, websites, blogs, newspapers, newsletters and more! If you want to focus specifically on improving your blogging skills, you can also subscribe to CopyBlogger – they always have ideas that help stimulate creative blog posts!

(Small plug) IDEA Health & Fitness Association published my first article this month! It’s always a proud moment when you see your name in print inside a real magazine – and this is my first time in a mainstream trade journal (so I’m unusually excited about it)! The article is featured in the January issue of IDEA Fitness Journal. It’s about developing the “Client-Trainer Blog” to promote health behavior change.

Kix Kayamanu has also embarked on a freelance writing career in Second Life. She was recently hired as a columnist for The Looking Glass, an online magazine covering the latest happenings inside the metaverse. Kix’s column “Shape Up” features her first article “Avatars Have Heart” where she discusses the importance of staying active in both a virtual life and real life!